Health Funds – Can you claim your Yoga?

Is Yoga covered in your Health Insurance Policy or Extras package?

Now you can claim the cost of your yoga and pilates classes with your Health Fund.

Yoga has become an accepted part of the Australian health-care system and growing numbers of health insurance funds are now paying benefits for yoga. Yoga Australia Registered Teacher status is the ‘gold standard’ that provides Funds with the quality assurances they are seeking.

Yoga, health and health insurance are increasingly becoming of interest to a broad range of people in our community. In these pages Yoga Australia provides information, including research findings, about yoga and how it relates to health and health insurance, for the benefit of the broader community including those who may currently attend classes taught by Yoga Australia Registered Teachers, those who may be considering attending yoga classes, or yoga students considering their private health insurance options.

Below you will find a list of health funds that provide benefits for attendance at yoga classes. Yoga Australia gratefully acknowledges these health funds for supporting the health benefits of practising yoga and encourages its members and students to acknowledge this support in their health insurance choices.

AHM will assess claims for yoga classes against a spreadsheet of registered teachers’ names provided by Yoga Australia. We will exclude registered teachers who have requested that their details not be forwarded. Registered teachers must include their Yoga Australia registered teacher membership number on the receipt.

Yoga Australia is accredited with HBF, therefore all Registered Yoga Teachers are eligible to successfully apply for an individual provider number with HBF by virtue of their Yoga Australia membership. Your application must include: current Professional Indemnity Insurance cover of at least $1,000,000 and current First Aid/CPR Certification. Please note that HBF will not register teachers who are unable to supply supporting documentation as part of their application. Go to the HBF website to access application process and contact details: http://www.hbf.com.au/about-hbf/for-providers/registration-information and go here to access their Provider Registration Formhttp://www.hbf.com.au/~/media/files/pdfs/HBF_Provider_Rego_Form_1.For yoga students as at February 2014, HBF will cover 8 sessions of yoga, within a three month period, as part of a program. The individual teacher’s provider number and dates of sessions the student attended, must be included on the receipt in order for the member to successfully claim their rebate.

HCF members with an eligible level of cover (and served relevant waiting periods etc) may claim for yoga classes when a medical practitioner recommends them to address a specific health condition. To make a claim, yoga students should complete a claim form for an exercise programwww.hcf.com.au/pdf/Exercise_Gym_Form.pdf and submit with the yoga teacher’s receipts. Official receipts are required, but yoga teachers are not required to individually register with HCF.

nib will assess claims for yoga classes against a spreadsheet of registered teachers’ names provided by Yoga Australia. We will exclude registered teachers who have requested that their details not be forwarded. Registered teachers must include their Yoga Australia registered teacher membership number on the receipt.

Provider numbers are not given. This benefit is paid from the Healthy Lifestyle cover. Yoga teachers must issue students with a receipt that has their Yoga Australia membership number, ABN, practice details and a full description of the services provided. Student must submit a letter from GP/Physio/Chiro confirming that attending yoga classes will help prevent or ameliorate a specific medical condition.

Provider numbers are not given. To register, the yoga teacher must issue an official receipt to the student and include the physical address of the studio and the Yoga Australia registered teacher membership no.